Avsnitt
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Why is being frugal a virtue? And where exactly do we draw the line between being “frugal” and being “cheap”? In this episode of The In-House Ethicist, John Paul Rollert traces the history of frugality from the 18th century to today, explaining why it continues to be relevant as a moral yardstick.
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Michael Lewis’s Liar’s Poker is a frank and ugly behind-the-scenes account of life as a young associate in the world of Wall St finance. The book is 35 years old, but the basic dilemma at its heart – whether follow your conscience or your bank balance—remains pertinent. In this episode of The In-House Ethicist, John Paul Rollert reflects on what the book tells us about ourselves and our professional choices. How long can you stay in a poisonous environment before you become part of it?
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Saknas det avsnitt?
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Stakeholder capitalism is the idea that business should be about more than just making money. That seems a world away from the brash financial types of Bret Easton Ellis’s 1991 novel ‘American Psycho,’ or the 1987 movie ‘Wall Street.’ But in this episode of the The In-House Ethicist, Chicago Booth’s John Paul Rollert asks how much we have really moved on, and reflects on the continuing relevance of Easton Ellis’s novel.
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Some people say that you don’t help the poor by giving them money, but by giving them opportunities to earn money. This is behind the periodic campaigns to limit welfare benefits in order to encourage work. But is a handout necessarily different from a hand-up? In this episode of The In-House Ethicist, John Paul Rollert reflects on how we think about helping the poor and charitable giving.
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What is within the power of free markets? What can capitalism do for society, what can’t it do, and what should it do? On this episode of the The In-House Ethicist, Booth’s John Paul Rollert explores how many people came to have an unshakeable faith in capitalism’s broad ability to solve nearly any problem, while the experience of others has left them skeptical. In the era after “the end of history,” capitalism’s defenders need to reckon earnestly with a series of questions about what the system may leave unresolved, he says.
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What should the uber wealthy do with their money? How can they leave a lasting legacy? And what responsibilities do they have to society at large? On this episode of the The In-House Ethicist, Booth’s John Paul Rollert reflects on the role of those at the very top of the 1 percent.
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Individuals acting in their own self-interest are, according to classical economics, an important part of a productive, efficient economy. And yet, selfishness is among the personality traits best known for impeding healthy human relationships. How do we separate the two concepts? On this episode of The In-House Ethicist, John Paul Rollert explores how we define the line between them, and why that line matters.
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When a business’s customers object to its conduct, they generally have two options: exit (vote with their wallets and cut ties with the company) and voice (boycott, protest, or otherwise raise awareness of their complaint). Social media has changed the calculus behind this choice for both individuals and companies. On this episode of the The In-House Ethicist, John Paul Rollert considers the impact of this change and how the relative appeal of exit and voice have evolved over time.
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Streaming services love a good tech startup business story, preferably one featuring a quirky CEO devoid of self-awareness, with an oversized ego and grandiose sense of ambition and purpose, and one finger always resting on the self-destruct button. Hence Super Pumped, the story of Travis Kalanick and Uber, The Dropout, about Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos, and WeCrashed, the tale of Adam Neumann and WeWork. In this episode of The In-House Ethicist, John Paul Rollert reads his 2023 essay that saw one common thread between the three series: the echoes of the legendary Steve Jobs.
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Many of us have seen bullying behavior at work. And though we might not like to admit it, many of us have failed to do anything about it. That can reflect the difficult trade-offs that come with calling out bullying: subjecting ourselves and others to scrutiny, completely changing the dynamic between colleagues, and potentially damaging your own career. In this episode of The In-House Ethicist, John Paul Rollert reflects on “the precarious relationship between ethics and expediency” when it comes to blowing the whistle on workplace bullying.
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What does it mean to sell out? What should we make of the tradeoffs we accept between our personal aspirations and professional successes? At what point do such tradeoffs become ethically problematic? On this episode of The In-House Ethicist, John Paul Rollert considers what makes someone a sellout—and whether being one really matters.
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One of the byproducts of growing inequality is that many wealthier people grow up, live, and work without ever knowing someone who is poor or struggling financially. On this episode of The In-House Ethicist, John Paul Rollert explores if the wealthy have an obligation to know what life is like for those on the lower end of the income spectrum?
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Thanks to the growth of index funds, more and more of us own passive investments. To what extent are we responsible for what goes into those index funds? In this episode of the In-House Ethicist, Chicago Booth’s John Paul Rollert asks if there really is such a thing as a truly “passive” investment.
